Tattoos are a very popular part of modern culture and millions of Americans have tattoos. Despite how many people are getting tattoos, however, there is also a large percentage of people who are looking to get their tattoos removed. Thankfully tattoos don’t have to be a permanent mark anymore for those who either have a change of heart or are seeking a lifestyle adjustment. Laser tattoo removal is one course of action which many people choose to take in order to get rid of their tattoos, for one reason or another. Although laser tattoo removal is the most popular and effective choice, there are other options, such as chemical creams and peals, and dermabrasion.
Lasers are highly concentrated light beams which work by focusing energy right at the ink. The lasers essentially work by breaking up ink particles into smaller and more manageable fragments. These fragments can be removed naturally by the body and its cells.
When you first get a tattoo the components used in the ink include metals such as manganese, copper, and lead. These metals make tattoos permanent. Whenever a person gets a tattoo the body will respond by fighting off the ink with white blood cells. These blood cells take the foreign element, the ink, into the liver to be processed and removed from the body. Obviously the white blood cells are not able to completely eradicate the ink because if they were tattoos would not have any permanency. Many ink particles are quite a bit bigger than the white blood cells themselves, so they are unable to carry away all of the ink. For this reason a person who gets a new tattoo will see that it will fade faster at first but won’t entirely vanish.
This is where the lasers enter the scene. The lasers break down those larger particles that were too large for the white blood cells. As the ink is broken up into smaller fragments it becomes easier for the white blood cells to completely or mostly remove the tattoo. The lasers used to remove tattoos are very hot, but mostly they are also extremely fast in order to break down the ink. The heat makes the ink expand but the speed of the zap operates so fast that part of the ink remains cold.
The colors, size, and depth of the tattoo will all play a role in how many sessions are required in order to break up the tattoo. Even so, laser tattoo removal does not involve incisions or blood. The lasers are able to target the ink in the tattoo without damaging or affecting skin surrounding the area. The procedure may still be painful, especially if multiple sessions are required. The heat from the lasers may cause blisters to begin forming. As with most other tattoo removal options, there is also a chance that there may be scarring after the procedure is over. Not all tattoos can be completely removed with laser tattoo removal, but many can be. Each session does not usually take more than several minutes but this also depends on the particular tattoo.
